The Truth
by ChocoFrogs
Summary: Albus loses something to the Headmistress, and James is determined to get it back. While in an attempt to find it, Albus learns something about his father that would change their relationship.


**Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition-Round 3**

 _We've all played this game at some point in our lives (if you haven't, you should). The rules are simple: one person asks the other to pick a Truth or a Dare. Depending on which one the other picks, the first person will ask them a question that needs to be answered with the Truth, or they will Dare them to do something that they probably wouldn't normally do._

 _This round works on the same basic principle. Each position will be given a Truth and a Dare to choose from, based on which a story has to be written._

 **Position: Beater 2**

 **Beater 2: Write about a Truth that is found by the next generation OR write about a Dare that is carried out by the next generation.**

 **Word Count: 1480**

 **Prompts:**

 **5\. (word) difference**

 **7\. (quote) You don't have to live forever. You just have to live. - Natalie Babbit, Tuck Everlasting**

 **12\. (dialogue) "Can we please turn back time and go back to how things used to be?"**

"Albus! What did you do?" James walked up to him after Potions and pulled him by the collar, dragging him away from his friends.

Albums whimpered, "James, I'm so—"

" _What?_ What are you sorry about? I know what you did! Explain yourself. Now!" James pushed him against the wall, turning his head, scowling at everyone staring at the pair of them.

"I was just playing around, James. Playing pranks. I never meant to do _any_ harm." Albus had never seen his brother so mad. Both their faces were red, both for different reasons.

Albus had scared one of his friends using his Invisibility cloak, and he accidentally knocked over a brewing potion, creating a hole in the floor, and getting the cloak confiscated.

"You know what Dad says. _You don't have to live forever. You just have to live._ I was living. Playing pranks. I—"

"Albus, you know what? No more excuses. Don't blame this on Dad. This was on _you_. I never want to be the one to clean up another one of your messes. Ever again. You hear me?" James' face was fuming.

"Now, let me fix this. And _don't_ get in my way." James let go of Albus' collar and stormed off.

* * *

"Albus! Come on, I have to get it back!" James told Albus as they scurried down the empty halls of Hogwarts.

Albus grabbed his hand, stopping him in his tracks.

"Dad wouldn't like this," Albus mumbled.

"He wouldn't like it either if we didn't bring it back home. I won't let you stop me. You can come or you can go back, but don't slow me down." James ran and Albus followed. They ran until they reached the Headmistress' office. A giant statue of a Griffin stood tall before them.

"James," Albus whispered, "how are we supposed to—"

"Fizzing Whizbees." James smiled as the statue started to move, revealing a staircase.

"How did you do that?

"No time for questions, Albus. Now let's go."

James walked carefully up the stairs, Albus trudging behind him, scowling.

"If you really want to know," James turned to Albus, "I overheard the password the other day."

Albus shook his head and smiled.

After what seemed like an eternity, they finally reached the door. He jiggled the knob.

"Locked. Did you bring your—"

"Alohomora," Albus turned the knob slowly. He peered through the crack.

"You know it wouldn't make a difference if she was in there or not. You could always stun her."

"I wouldn't stun the Headmistress!" Albus squeaked, eyes wide. Seeing his brother's impatient look, Albus' shoulders slumped. "Okay, okay." Albus pushed open the door.

A look of horror struck both of their faces. It was filled with so much stuff. They wouldn't know where to begin.

"Hey, this must be the Pensieve that Dad was talking about. Maybe she has a memory of where she kept the cloak."

James scoffed. "Don't be ridiculous, Albus. Even the Headmistress isn't _that_ stupid, to leave a memory like that lying around."

 _Well I have to start somewhere._ Albus frowned, thinking of how he could get his brother back. He missed his old brother. After Albus got the cloak confiscated, James didn't trust him anymore.

"Can we please turn back time and go back to how things used to be?" Albus whispered to himself.

He _had_ to find the cloak, and would do anything in order to make his brother proud again. The Pensieve opened. Albus scanned the shelf, looking for something, anything that would help. There was an unlabeled vial, sitting where someone wouldn't notice it at first. _I wonder—_

He poured its contents into the wide bowl in front of him, took a deep breath, and plunged his face into the memories.

* * *

 _The sky was dark. There were ashes everywhere, the castle, destroyed._ The war, _Albus thought. Seeing all of the hurt was nerve racking to Albus, but he was at least relieved that it was over. He didn't know if he would be able to actually witness a memory of the fighting._

 _Professor McGonagall was walking around when she heard something coming from a secluded corner. She slowly approached, Albus keeping close to her, and peered around the corner. There, stood two familiar figures, kissing. As of that moment, it seemed like they hadn't a care in the world._

 _McGonagall whipped her head back behind the broken wall. Albus, however, couldn't look away. It was George and Harry. His uncle George, and his Dad._

 _Then, Uncle George pulled away. "Harry, stop."_

 _Dad dropped his hand from Uncle George's hair, but their reluctance to part was clear to Albus who could hardly believe the longing in their eyes. Uncle George took hold of Dad's hand, holding on to it as if it were a lifeline._

 _"I can't do this, Harry. I can't do this to Ginny or Fred," George spoke softly._

 _"Fred would want us to be happy, George. Do you really think he would mind that we have fallen in love? Fred and I… There might have been something there, but we'll never have the chance to see if it could have been more." Harry caressed his arm. "And besides, Ginny and I broke up. She knows that I'm bisexual, she never held it against me. Ginny is one of my best friends, I think she always will be."_

 _Albus couldn't believe what he was hearing. Was everything everyone ever told him a lie? What about the epic love story of his parents? His Dad breaking up with his Mom to protect her? Had that been a lie? Did no one know?_

 _Uncle George closed his eyes, leaning down and gently placing his forehead against his Dad's. They stayed like that for several moments, as if nothing else in the world existed but them. Then, Uncle George pulled back and laid a gentle kiss on Dad's forehead, then on each of Dad's eyelids, then his nose, until, finally, a gentle lingering kiss was placed on Dad's lips._

 _Uncle George took a shuddering breath as he pulled away and lifted Dad's hand to his lips, where he placed another kiss. "You know," Uncle George smiled, and Albus almost flinched at how heartbroken his Uncle looked. "I'll always love you."_

 _Uncle George dropped Dad's hand, closing his eyes, though not before a tear escaped them, and slowly walked away._

 _Dad looked down, his eyes welling up as he cradled his hand to his chest._

 _Albus was completely stunned; however, when his Mom walked up to his Dad from an out of the way alcove, he couldn't stop himself from gasping._

 _"Harry?"_

 _His Mom approached his Dad slowly, a sadness in her eyes that Albus had never seen before._

 _"Ginny…" Nor had Albus ever heard his Dad sound so broken._

 _"Harry, it's alright. It'll be alright." She wiped his tears and squeezed him tight, seeming like she'd never let go._

 _Then everything blurred, and Albus felt himself being pulled back._

* * *

Albus' head came out of the Pensieve. He felt completely numb. He didn't know what to say. _Dad kept this from me? From us? Of course he did. Mom too? How could they never have said anything? Why were they together? Did they even love each other? What about Uncle George? Were Dad and he still in love?_

Albus shuddered. He didn't know what to do, what to think. He didn't want to go home, he didn't want to look at his Dad and see this memory, playing over and over again in his head. He secretly hoped James never found the cloak.

"Thanks for the help, Albus," James said sarcastically, startling him out of his downward spiraling thoughts.

Albus turned around to find James holding up the cloak proudly. "You… you found it."

"Mmhm, no thanks to you." James' gleaming face turned into a worried one. "What happened?"

"Hmm? Oh, nothing," Albus tried to smile, he hoped it didn't look as fake as it felt. "I'm fine, really."

He wasn't that good at lying to his brother, or anyone for that matter. He just hoped James wouldn't push, as he usually did. More importantly, he hoped that James wouldn't tell _anyone_ that he had looked in the Pensieve.

"Well, whatever you saw, don't worry about it. The only thing we do have to worry about is not missing the train. Let's go."

James took Albus by the hand and they ran to meet up with the rest of their friends, all grinning as James held up the cloak. Albus tried to put everything to the back of his mind, but he knew things wouldn't be the same again, how could they? Albus would forever wonder about the 'what ifs' and 'could have beens'; and every time he saw his Uncle and Dad, he would only see the deep love they felt for each other and the heartbreak that marred it.


End file.
